Charice was in Japan for less than a week with a schedule jampacked with appearances and interviews promoting her second album “Infinity”. Her efforts have paid off because as of this writing, Infinity has topped Japan iTunes’ pop chart and is at number 2 on the overall Japan iTunes chart! We give you two of her magazine interviews, which have helped spread the word about our dear Charice.

Web Town Triangle, October 2011

Charice was featured in the Artist Interview section of the October 2011 issue of Web Town Triangle, a webzine/magazine aimed at residents of Yamaguchi Prefecture in Japan. This is an interesting interview, with tidbits that might even surprise long-time Chasters. Read on and find out where Charice also wants to live, what she was doing at 5 years old, and where she shops when she is in Japan.

You’ve joined a lot of singing contests since you were young right?

“Yes. When I was 4 years old, I was singing in my house and my mother realized that I had a talent in singing so I started joining singing contests when I was 7.”

What made you want to become an artist?

“I didn’t think that I would become an artist just because singing came naturally to me. I became an artist with the natural flow of things, over time. But when I was in elementary school and was joining singing contests, I did imagine that I would be a singer. I was supporting my family through my singing but at the same time I was having a lot of fun. I am grateful that I did become a singer.”

You know, Japanese elementary students don’t have clear-cut goals at their age like you did.

“Maybe I just grew up faster than everyone else. I was cooking even before I entered elementary school.”

You were cooking at 5,6 years old?

“In our house, my mother worked out of the home until very late. I have a younger brother, and I remember cooking so that I could feed him. I was short and I couldn’t reach the stove so I had to step on a stool and cook. I cooked all the time so I was used to it.”

You are now performing world-wide – did you ever think of performing around the world when you thought of becoming a singer?

“Not at all (laughs). I did want to become famous in the Philippines but I never thought that I would be able to sing for the whole world. I became more known because of Youtube, so Youtube was a good match for me.”

You are from the Philippines but are you still based there?

“I come and go between the Philippines and America now. I also go on tour and do promotion work in other countries, just like I am doing in Japan now (laughs).”

Were you able to speak English when you were still living in the Philippines?

“I wasn’t able to speak English when I was there. Even in the Philippines, English is a second language. I learned English when I came to America when I was 15. I watched a lot of American movies and television to learn English.”

You have a powerful singing voice that has mesmerized the world. How do you take care of your voice?

“Arigato gozaimasu. I don’t really do anything special to “take care” of it. But if I have to give an example, it would be taking a break. That’s basically all I do.”

Was there ever a time when you were in a slump, when you felt discouraged?

“When I was 13, I joined a major singing contest (on TV) and I really gave it my all because I wanted to show everyone that I would win. But in the end, I only placed third. I was really, really frustrated. I wouldn’t leave the house and just kept crying. I thought of giving up becoming a singer. My mother told me that there will be times like this but there will definitely be good times. With her positive attitude and the comfort that she gave me, I was able to recover. Even up to know, I can still remember how frustrated I was.”

What books or movies have shaped you, influenced you?

“One Piece” (animation). And Doraemon. (My brother) and I were by ourselves a lot since out mother was working until late in the evening so we watched animation. I received Doraemon comin books the other day. I would like to read them. I also watched other Japanese animation. There were quite a few but I don’t remember the titles…”

In your travels, what places do you like?

“I love Japan. I think this is my sixth time to Japan. All of the Japanese are kind and polite. And the food is delicious – sushi, shabu shabu, rice balls. I also like Tennessee in America. I went there for a private event and it was so nice I wanted to live there. The place where went had a big pond and the sky was endless. Everything was big and wide and there were hardly any people. The view was pretty and the air was clean. Time moved slowly and I was able to relax and have fun.”

What have you bought lately?

“This one (the navy jacket and cream shirt that she was wearing). I bought it in Zara here in Japan. I enjoy shopping in Zara here because there are a lot of clothes that they sell here that they do not have in America.”

You have a small build so Japanese sizes are just right for you?

“Yes! All the sizes in America are larger so a lot of things are too big for me. Japan has a lot of small clothes so it’s just right for me. That’s the main reason why I buy a lot of clothes here. I also bought this in Japan (pointing to a yellow watch). I definitely go shopping when I am here.”

Don’t people crowd around you when you shopping here in Japan?

“I never get recognized here. Even in America people don’t notice me. When I sing, people do recognize that it’s me but generally I don’t get recognized so it’s easy to shop.”

Lastly, a message please.

“I am so happy that people in Japan listen to my music. The song “Far as the Sky” which is in my new album is the theme song of the drama “Bull Doctor” so I think the song is familiar to everyone. This album is different from my first album. It’s a mix of different genres which you will enjoy so please listen to it.”

SCREEN MAGAZINE, November 2011 issue

A long-time favorite among Japanese movie fans for more than 60 years, Screen magazine featured Charice in its November issue. Find out which track she especially loves in her new album “Infinity” and what “Charice fashion” is all about.

“What is so important is, to believe in yourself, and never give up”

~ The Gifted singer whose voice continues to fascinate people around the world.

CHARICE

Having been acknowledged and strongly-supported by the multi-Grammy winner David Foster, who has been best known as a producer for Celine Dion and many other recording stars, the charming starlet Charice recently came back to Japan for promoting her upcoming second album. Having won huge popularity among a wide range of TV viewers who have enjoyed “GLEE” in which she starred as a semi-regular cast.

On this issue, Screen gives you the truely charming face of Charice, and how charming a personality Charice has with an exclusive interview.

First having lit the fire of sensation from YouTube, now a worldwide sensation, Charice has become. Acknowledged by David Foster with her stunningly beautiful gifted voice, and with his guidance, Charice has been one of the “friends” of David Foster & Friends concert gala series since 2008 and is performing with him again as a part of David Foster & Friends Japan Tour 2011 which will be held on October 19 & 20.

The young starlet who has recently contributed her voice for the Japanese TV drama “The Bull Doctor” recently came back to Japan to promote her soon-to-come sophomore international album. Here you are witnessing the positive, energetically happy girl who kindly responded to our questions below.

You have now been very famous around the world. How do you feel becoming so watched from millions and millions of people?

“I have come to right where I am now because of the support from many many people around the world and of course, many fans out there have supported me that has brought me up right here. I am so grateful for having been able to experience so many of the unimaginables, and I feel so blessed about it.”

Your new abum “Infinity”, has full of tracks which maintains a variety for each tracks to set the rainbowsome colorful tone for the album. Any tracks you especially love or put passions into?

“Definitely “Bounce Back”. The song is about “to get my own back on”. It’s about a girl who put those people to shame who were so hard on and being haters of her (Laugh). Another song “Lighthouse” is an acoustic kind of a song as it was set up to be and that I so love about it. For another song “New World”, is a theme song for a new Final Fantasy game, and has a hopeful message that is, even if you lose your profoundly loving precious someone, those beautiful memories you created with will live on…never fade away.”

You also starred the worldwide famous TV series “GLEE” and contributed your beautiful voice for a couple of episodes.

“I love GLEE! And I do love to go back to GLEE again! By the way, you see? This hat I wore today which is just like the one I wore as Sunshine on Glee (Laugh)”

Yes I knew that! That’s so cute Is there any points and tips for the “Charice a ala mode”, your style?

“Well, I think Heels that makes me look taller is essential, and any black outfits that would make me look more slim (Laugh) I would also go with a mens shirt on like a rich dress kinda style plus leggings on…i love that too.”

Any future acting plans for you?

“I just finished filming an action comedy film “Here comes the boom” which is going to be in theaters in the United States next July. I played a high school student who is a stunning genius, and of course there are a few cuts in the film that I sing.”

Last question for you. Any advice you can give to those who wants to be like you, I mean people who dreams and wants to follow your success?

“Be strong, and never give up! Believe in yourself, don’t get caught by anyone who give you negative stuffs and feelings!…well that sounds like a winner’s speech at the Oscars doesn’t it?! (Laugh)”

97 Responses to “Charice Japan Interview Compilation”

Give everyone a break please and rest this topic now. Oh my my, just checking in to see what’s going on with the 94 comments here! Sorry I’ve not had time to be here so often as before. The topic seems to have gone way off the mark. Let’s stick to celebrating Charice’s victories and not delve so deeply on the English topic as I imagine it’s quite a turn-off to non-Filipino fans and sensible Filipinos alike (and also for this particular native English speaker) who have no problems whatsoever with Charice’s answer to the question. We want more fans of all kinds to visit Charicemania and not be scared off …um bored? =) by so much verbosity and arguing from her countrymen.

I love the photo above which Harry posted in his blog. It’s wonderful that Charice is establishing her presence in Japan and doing so well there. “kawaiiii ne!” [so cuuute!]

Charice’s English has improved immensely as what usually happens when a filipino immigrant comes to the USA at a reasonably young age; the accent slowly disappears and replaced with what I call general English complete with knowledge of slang terms and understanding of communication patterns in the US. I think what she meant when she says she did not know how to speak English until she came here is because she knew halting English. She did not have the ability at the time to properly string sentences together to form a complete thought or message and that was evident in the Ellen show. Now I see that she is able to express her thoughts more fully without the pauses as much. I’m sure someday we will see Charice speak English like it’s her native tongue since she is constantly surrounded by native English speakers. It takes time. My goodness she’s not even legal. If anyone can do better than what Charice has done then kudos to you. Otherwise, crabs, ….. Now, they don’t teach that in English grammar school.

give it a rest, I’ve been in US for at least 39 years, yet I could not speak English well. So what, and who cares, Charice is great, and she is one of a kind. be greatfull, we have Charice, Lea Salonga, pacman, and Arnel pineda, without them philippines is not known by the world. Go Charice.

There are some non-English speaking performers who when interviewed can hardly say a thing. And it doesn’t really matter. What matters is if you claim you’re a singer, you should know how to sing, really sing; if you claim to be a dancer, you must be a real dancer. Charice is a singer and she can SING! Okay? Let’s give this issue a rest.

Hope this will make sense to those sensitive Chasters….Even our human body need some bad bacteria to function its balanced cycles normally ( i dont have to elaborate this)….so, we need those Crabs here actually but we just need to limit their moves…it must be normal ….one thing is sure ..Charicelandia is so huge right now and still growing…

I checked on Frank Lee’s comment which I believe is the source of this lengthy yet polarised discussions and mind you he did not criticise Charice. On the contrary he said that Charice was already speaking very good English even before her guesting on Ellen show w/c was her first exposure in America. And as a matter of proof he mentioned Charice’s appearance on the Star King show. What he raised in his comment was Charice not being able to tell exactly what she was supposed to. Her denial somewhat caused him some feeling of discomfort knowing fully well, as he implied, that high school level students in the Philippines can already speak the English language though not as fluent as the English native speakers obviously because English is not the tongue language of the Filipinos. His long stay and study in the Philippines, the way I understand him, afforded him this knowledge and therefore felt slighted when Charice clearly said that she learned English only when she went to America. As an offshot to Frank’s comment, some chasters, who did not exactly understand the issue, commented that chaster’s English was criticised when nobody did. Some went to the extent of saying about substandard education in the Philippines when there is none of it. Public and private high schools follow the same curricula. The very thing who are substandard are some students themselves who just take the study of the English language for granted. While English is one of the two offical languages in the Philippines, it is not the language of choice per se when majority of the people converse with each other. But it is the only language in the Philippines that can connect conversation and understanding between two regional people who do not speak Tagalog. As to Charice, being that she is already an international celebrity, has now become a public property. As such, she will and can be, from time to time, a subject of many criticisms and praises. And this all chasters must fully understand. After all, criticisms and praises are always directed to the mighty ones not the lowly ones.

Frank Lee used essentially the same statements that I used – in particular her appearance on StarKing minus the “first appearance in the U.S.” video. I just want to say that my criticism was directed at David Foster – how could he say that Charice did not know a single word of english when he first met her? Not a single word! He has to know that millions of people have seen the StarKing video. He’s like the proud parent that loves to brag about his children – but sometimes it gets out of hand, as in this case. I don’t know if Charice ever attended high school on a formal basis – she did get her HS diploma online. That being said, in elementary school, much terminology is in english, particularly arithmetic. At the high school level, some english is used in all science subjects. The medium of instruction at the college level is almost exclusively in english. The main difference between public and private schools is that private schools are better equipped and are costly. In general the quality of education in the provinces is below that of Manila. I have to believe that Charice had an advantage english-wise from her classmates because of her singing from age four. In order to put the expression and emotion to all those songs with lyrics in english, she had to know the meaning of the words, not just memorize them.

Khatman don’t forget that DF is a perfectionist so it’s not a surprise that the was honored with 16 Grammies.What is perfect English to you may not pass his level.Many times Charice mentioned that conversing with DF have to be in proper English in terms of diction and pronounciation and she always emphasized that he is very strict about it.Never mind Frank Lee for he comes from a country that literally don’t speak English and 2 or 3 English words coming out of charice,to him is perfect English .

@Khatman
1. Your points are well noted but I’m sorry to disagree with your statement that the quality of education in the provinces is below that in Manila but I don’t need to elaborate on that as this topic is off Charice line.
2. Mr. David Foster when intruducing Charice could have been mixed up and thus mistook Charice for Celine Dion. As most of us know, that’s the same line of intro he used for Celine during her Foster days. Celine is originally from Quebec – a province of French speaking people in Canada, as we all know.
3. I agree with Ann Nestey’s comment above that Charice is now a public property and thus becoming a subject of public scrutiny.
4. Charice must have been already in 2nd year high school by the time she guested on the Star King. She was 14 at that time and one graduates from the elementary level at age 12 if one starts 7 first grade. Her educational background is missing in the Wikipedia write-up and anywhere else. Isn’t it that elementary and high school studies are free in the Philippines? If this is correct then Jojo must have finished his/her elementary very late at age 15 because she/he commented Charice was not even yet in the high school during the Star King guesting. Yours truly graduated from high school at age 16 so are other Filipino kids I supposed.

while most Filipinos UNDERSTAND English, most CANNOT SPEAK the language PROPERLY. just scroll down and read the comments below as proof of that. i remember when i first moved to Canada when i was little: i was basically mute for the first few months that i was here so i diff get what Charice was talking about. i understood most of what my classmates were saying, but expressing myself was a completely different story.

also, i learned French from Elementary to Secondary school because French is the second official language of Canada but that does not mean i can speak French. i went to Quebec one time and i was like a lost kitten trying to find the nearest liquor store because everyone around me only knew how to speak French.

the nerve on some of the so called Chasters here, calling Charice and/or David a liar and acting like all Filipinos speak fluent English from the get go. i mean, who knows Charice better than herself? if she says she could not speak English when she first got to the US then who are you to question that. just because Filipinos claim to speak fluent English does not make it so. and calling Charice a liar will not make that claim any more true.

if you are a true Chaster and Charice is in fact your idol, you should emulate her by being humble. not inflating your ego and falsely bragging that Filipinos are fluent in English and calling Charice a liar because she said she could not speak English when she first came to the US. understanding/knowing English is different from speaking/conversing in English. for all those crabs who say otherwise: reply to this message and i’ll show you what i mean.

Brittany is correct but chasticed. Sometimes the failure to recognized the truth and constructive suggestions is the greater mistake.

I dare not comment for Charice’s betterment sometime ago..You see, i love her.

Let me try one now.

Ex. The same Questions are asked of her repeatedly. Her responses are all the same ( since 3 years ago and can be boring ). Can somebody please write her (canned responses ) more interesting and with a new perspective.
We love new insights.public expects it. Marc seem unaware.

When I first saw Charice I was amazed just like the rest of her fans. I saw something in her that I never thought about in other singers. Why does she make us feel the way we do? I haven’t figured out the whole thing yet. People have to make comments on every thing she does that they don’t think is what she should be doing.Her choice of clothes,makeup,hair,english,etc.She had a dream and it came true big time. She still has a lot of work to bring everyone on earth to her attention.At her age she has done more than most people do in a life time. Her story is a sad one. I just love to watch her and follow her on her journey.

Learning English as a foreign language is aquite difficult for some of us and our English education from school is not enough at all
and many people know how to speak English but they don’t have the courage to speak to the puplic….it is just like any ordinary conversation
but you have to say your opinion in English
don’t be afraid to have mistakes
we all have mistakes and without mistakes we will never learn
write it whatever the mistakes are
no one will laugh at you
we will correct you
each one of us will correct the other’s mistake…..

to learn English language, you have to use it everyday whether its correct or not…most pinoys are not enjoying to speak english because they afraid somebody will laugh for their wrong grammar….sorry for so many comments..just practicing my english hehehe…

Well, there is always the first time. We cannot hide our filipino accent, and we don’t speak english at home, and most of the time at work. Charice is just great, learning to converse in english at l;enght. great.

What’s the issue about her statement that that she wasn’t able to speak English before she came to America? She is telling the truth, how dare you call her a liar.She didn’t mention that she can’t say or understand a word of English. What she meant was she can’t speak conversational English comfortably, before she came to the U.S, which was true.

Do you guys still remember when she first guested at the Ellen Degeneres Show? She was just 15 at the time, and before she sang, Ellen asked her what her impression of the U.S. Charice, in halting English said, “So much, so, it’s very great, nice people, nice building, nice lights, I like it very much.” LOL! I think her answer was rehearsed, even memorized, but if not for Charice’s guts and intelligence it could had been a lot worst.

YUP..SOME OF THIS PEOPLE JUST CANNOT DIGEST WHAT THE SITUATION IS…..They just cannot fathom how its like to be surrounded with a lot of white and black americans in the audiences, and yet she came thru being all by herself in the stage and this is her first, first, first, first performance in America…he….he…, I gave her all the credit in the world, first time I met and American is when I got my visa…thats it, one on one performance with the whoever she is…??? and I was nervous too…..folks…wake up….you have a smart little girl on our side….lets be proud of her, support her,

I just cant imagine (politics now) how those congressmen and senators does thier daily business…..I bet you its “BICKERING ” all day…..he….he….nothing is getting done……LUCKY YOU CHARICE….you havent been dealing with all this Philippine Entertaintment Business personnel for a while now…..and look at you…you are well respected here by etc…etc…etc….keep it up…we are all happpppppy for your success !!!!!!!

That was 4 years ago, look at her now. She improved her coversational English by leaps and bounds. No wonder DF called her a “fast learner” at the recent Vegas engagement. She is a real phenom not only because of her beautiful voice and singing prowess but also because of her amazing photographic memory. I don’t know how she managed to remember the lyrics of hundreds of songs by heart. I know the lyrics of 5 songs but sometimes I even forget 3 when I attempt to sing them.

I checked on Frank Lee’s comment which I believe is the source of this lengthy yet polarised discussions and mind you he did not criticise Charice. On the contrary he said that Charice was already speaking very good English even before her guesting on Ellen show w/c was her first exposure in America. And as a matter of proof he mentioned Charice’s appearance on the Star King show. What he raised in his comment was Charice not being able to tell exactly what she was supposed to. Her denial somewhat caused him some feeling of discomfort knowing fully well, as he implied, that high school level students in the Philippines can already speak the English language though not as fluent as the English native speakers obviously because English is not the tongue language of the Filipinos. His long stay and study in the Philippines, the way I understand him, afforded him this knowledge and therefore felt slighted when Charice clearly said that she learned English only when she went to America. As an offshot to Frank’s comment, some chasters, who did not exactly understand the issue, commented that chaster’s English was criticised when nobody did. Some went to the extent of saying about substandard education in the Philippines when there is none of it. Public and private high schools follow the same curricula. The very thing who are substandard are some students themselves who just take the study of the English language for granted. While English is one of the two offical languages in the Philippines, it is not the language of choice per se when majority of the people converse with each other. But it is the only language in the Philippines that can connect conversation and understanding between two regional people who do not speak Tagalog.

As to Charice, being that she is already an international celebrity, has now become a public property. As such, she will and can be, from time to time, a subject of many criticisms and praises. And this all chasters must fully understand. After all, criticisms and praises are always directed to the mighty ones not the lowly ones.

Frank Lee said essentially what I said in my first post. I apologize in reacting to Osuna’s remarks – especially when he mentioned my wife who by the way grew up in similar circumstances as Charice – father died when she was five leaving her mother to raise six children on seamtress pay.
In her own way she was a success story like Charice – like many women growing up in the Philippines she became a nurse -(no, not a singing nurse like Charice wanted to become after Little Big Star)she graduated as valdictorian of her nursing class(Chinese School Of Nursing) – came to the U.S. and for many years was the head nurse of the E.R. at the local hospital.

But getting back to Charice, I wasn’t criticising her. It was David Foster I had doubts about. Why would he say she didn’t know a word of English when he first met her? He knows millions of people have seen the StarKing video. I can only attribute his praise to what proud parents do when bragging about their children – sometimes it gets out of hand.

I am somewhat familiar with the education system in the Philippines – It is divided into four levels – elementary school – 6 yrs(gr 1 through 6); high school 4 yrs; college 4,5,or6yrs for a bachelor’s degree; and graduate school leading to a masters and/or a doctorate. At all four levels there are both public and private schools, private schools being better equipted. At the college level the medium of instruction is almost exclusively in english. In high school some english is used in all science subjects. Even in elementary school many terms are in english, particularly in math. The school year begins in mid-June and ends in March/April with long schooldays 7am to 5 pm. I was surprised when my niece told me she graduated from HS @ age 16 until I found out about the long school days. Because of her need to support her family Charice did not complete her formal education and received her high school diploma through online studies. Lately I don’t know if she is still continuing her online college studies what with her hectic schedule.

Charice attended school in the provinces where education is of a poorer quality than schools in Manila. However, I believe Charice compensated for this shortfall w/ regards to the English language because the songs she learned to sing (not the ones in Tagalog)from age 4 were all in english and she had to know the meaning of the lyrics(not just memorize them) in order to put all the emotion and expression that she puts into her singing.

I am hoping that her Infinity album will be as great a success here in the U.S. as in Japan. All she really needs is one breakout hit such as Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep” who sings in the mode of our Charice – no skin, no backup accompanyment, no autotune, just pure talent in singing.